BIOLOGIST

8vo: 1 p. Good, laid down on the reverse of the front free endpaper of a copy of Andre Maurois's 'The Life of Sir Alexander Fleming' (London, 2nd imp., 1959). Reads 'Thank you very much. We would be delighted to be with you on Nov 12th. I think all is well with me now & I am off to Edinburgh on Monday. | Yours sincerely | [signed] Alec. Fleming'. The context is explained on pp. 265-6 of the book. 'In October 1953 he was due to make a speech at the opening of 'Les Journees Medicales' in Nice. Two days before the appointed date, he woke up with a high fever. He himself diagnosed pneumonia.

Total of five letters, total 5pp., 8vo (4) and 12mo (1), small amount of chipping and staining, texts clear and complete. (1928) He acknowledges receipt of "Symmetry in Organisms" which he read with 'pleasure & profit'; (March 1929) He acknowldges recipt of 'Principles of Morphology' which he found particularly interesting "because I am writing the section on the subject in my 'History of Biology'"; (April 1929) "I am delighted to sign your application for teh Royal Society of Medicine. I fear you will find it rather expensive.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. The name of the addressee is indistinct, and appears to be 'S. Algernon'. The letter reads: 'Dear Sir | I regret that I am unable to give the Lecture you ask for. I really have no business to undertake any kind of public speaking & except in very special circumstances, I keep out of it'.

3pp., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, on two leaves pinned together. He begins: 'I am sending herewith living specimens from Eagle Pond, Epping Forest, of a species of Volvox without protoplasmic connections between the cells. If you have not had it before you will no doubt be interested. If you have, I should be glad if you could tell me what you think it ought to be called. It is evidently close, if not identical, with V. Monona Gilb. Smith recorded by Pearsall as British from the Lake Dist. But it may also be V. tertius Meyer (cf.

On piece of grey paper 1.5 x 10 cms. Good. Reads '[in another hand] Yours faithfully, | [signed] P. Geddes'. Good firm signature, slightly overlapping lower loop of the central 'f' in 'faithfully'.